peters



2 Sheets-=Sheet 2. J. HALL, Jr.

Potato Digger.

Patented May 1:0;18'70.

waited $121M fitment dtflfiire.

Letters Patent No. 102,814, dated May 10, 1870.

mrnovnmnnr m Porno-Dreams.

The Schedule referred to inthese Letters Patent, and making part of the same To all whomtt may concern.

Be itknown that I, JOHN HALL, Ja, of Temperanceville, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Potato-Diggers; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference b'einghad to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of refer- 'ence marked t ereon.

-'lhe nature f my invention consists in the combination and arrangementof a shovel-plow, separator, and agitator-wheel constructed, arranged, combined,

and operating, as hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Inthe accompanying drawings, which form part of my specificationo Figure 1, sheet a, isa'vertical and longitudinal section 'ofmy improvement in potato-diggers.

Figure .2 is a perspective mold-board.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the separator.

Figure 4, sheet B, is a top or plan view of my im- .provement'in potato-diggers.

In the accompanying drawings--:

A represents the digger or mold-board, the face of which ismade concave, as shown in figs. 1 and 2, and is. secured to. the curved standards B, to which the view of the digger or handles D are attached.

To the handles D and standards B are'attached braces e, for giving stiffness and strength to the handles; to the upper and front ends'of the standards B is welded the beam 0, the front end of which is provided with a hanger, j, in the lower end of which is pivoted a wheel, h.

Thehanger f is braced with relation to the beam 0 by means ofa brace, g, and both hanger and brace are held in the desired position to the beam 0 by means of the bolts J and t, and the openings marked 3. The hanger j; with its wheel h, is used for the purpose of regulating the depth of digging.

To the back end of the digger or mold-board A is pivoted at l, a separator, which consists of a series of parallel rods, K, attached to two transverse rods, f, and w.

The rod w is provided with a smallfrictiomroller, S against which the arms 2 of the when the digger is in operation.

The agitator-wheel n is pivoted in the piece 0, which 1 agitator-wheel 02 act is secured to the back-part of the digger or mold-board A To the separator, and over the agitator-wheel a, is secured a guard, m, which is used for the purpose of preventing the agitator-wheel n from becoming clogged with weeds, dirt, or potato-tops.

As the construction and arrangement of the several parts of my improvement, and the relation they bear to each other, will be readily understoodfi-om the fore.-

going description, and by reference to the accompanying drawings, 1 will therefore proceed to describe the operation.

I adjust the hanger f and brace g so that it will allow the digger A to enter the ground to the desired depth. The forward movement of the digger .will'di vide the potato-hill, and the face of the digger being concave, the potatoes will be gathered toward the center of it, and will passback between-the standards B onto the separator, which, being agitated through the medium of the agitating-wheel n, will cause the earth to pass down between the rods K of the separator, and thereby separate the potatoes from the earth, and the concave surface of the separator will so gather the potatoes together as to deposit them in a row on the surface of the ground.

By attaching the digger 'or mold-board A to the standards B, as herein described and represented, a freepassage between the standards is obtained, and the digger is not liable to become clogged with dirt, weeds, or potato-tops. By means of the concavity in the face of the digger A the potato-hills will be so divided, as that the potatoes will be thrown back on the central portion of the separator, which, being also provided with a concaved surface, will deposit the-potatoes on the ground separated from the earth, and gat-heredtogether in rows. v

By the use of the guard m the agitating-wheel is protected, from weeds, potato-tops, and other matter liable to clog it, and make it inoperative.

Having thus described the nature, construction, and operation of my improvement,

What I claim as of my invention, is

The combination of the concave plow A, the concave separator, provided-with the guard on, and agitator-whee'l. n, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

Witnesses: JOHN HALL, JR.

A. 0. JoHNsro-N, JAS. G. THOMPSON. 

